Scottish Executive

Air Services

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many direct flights from Scotland to (a) European and (b) non-European destinations have been made in each of the last three years broken down by (i) route, (ii) airport and (iii) carrier.

Nicol Stephen: Information as at March 2001, March 2002 and March 2003 showing the direct flights from Scotland to European Union and other international destinations, and broken down by (i) route, (ii) airport and (iii) carrier, has been compiled from various sources by the Civil Aviation Authority. A copy of the information is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 29718).

Autism

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many school-age children have been registered as having autism, either as their main or as a subsidiary difficulty in learning and what the total school-age population has been in each local authority area has been each year since December 2000.

Peter Peacock: There is no formal register of school-age children with autism. The annual school census does, however, collect data on the main difficulty in learning, including autism, though not where it is a subsidiary difficulty. The following tables provide data from the school census in 2001 and in 2002. The tables are not comparable because the 2001 school census collected this information on pupils with records of needs only, whereas the 2002 school census combined those with records of needs with those pupils with Individualised Educational Programmes.

  Total Number of Pupils and Number of Pupils with Record of Needs with Autistic Spectrum Disorder as Main Difficulty in Learning in Publicly Funded Schools by Local Authority

  


 Pupils 
  with Main Learning Difficulty Autistic Spectrum Disorder
 All 
  Pupils in Publicly Funded Schools


 Scotland
 1,515
 745,074


 Aberdeen City
 63
 25,853


 Aberdeenshire
 113
 36,239


 Angus
 26
 16,408


 Argyll and Bute
 35
 13,016


 Clackmannanshire
 17
 7,430


 Dumfries and Galloway
 42
 22,045


 Dundee City
 39
 20,272


 East Ayrshire
 23
 18,808


 East Dunbartonshire
 27
 19,260


 East Lothian
 19
 13,494


 East Renfrewshire
 23
 16,137


 Edinburgh City
 79
 49,547


 Eilean Siar
 *
 4,166


 Falkirk
 16
 21,246


 Fife
 97
 52,639


 Glasgow City
 236
 76,728


 Highland
 113
 33,326


 Inverclyde
 37
 12,994


 Midlothian
 22
 12,997


 Moray
 51
 13,562


 North Ayrshire
 30
 21,382


 North Lanarkshire
 112
 52,150


 Orkney Islands
 *
 3,130


 Perth and Kinross
 43
 18,366


 Renfrewshire
 54
 27,112


 Scottish Borders
 *
 15,760


 Shetland Islands
 12
 3,752


 South Ayrshire
 30
 16,670


 South Lanarkshire
 71
 46,702


 Stirling
 17
 12,857


 West Dunbartonshire
 15
 15,057


 West Lothian
 41
 25,969



  Source: Scottish Schools Census September 2001.

  Note:

  *denotes a figure of less than five pupils, or a figure which would enable the calculation of such a figure

  Total Number of Pupils and Number of Pupils with Record of Needs and/or Individualised Educational Programmes with Autistic Spectrum Disorder as Main Difficulty in Learning in Publicly Funded Schools by Local Authority

  


 Pupils 
  with Main Learning Difficulty Autistic Spectrum Disorder
 All 
  Pupils in Publicly Funded Schools


 Scotland
 2,204
 738,597


 Aberdeen City
 58
 24,999


 Aberdeenshire
 182
 36,160


 Angus
 9
 16,290


 Argyll and Bute
 38
 12,976


 Clackmannanshire
 21
 7,312


 Dumfries and Galloway
 57
 21,851


 Dundee City
 68
 19,803


 East Ayrshire
 45
 18,662


 East Dunbartonshire
 44
 19,026


 East Lothian
 29
 13,579


 East Renfrewshire
 30
 16,267


 Edinburgh City
 181
 48,974


 Eilean Siar
 11
 4,153


 Falkirk
 29
 21,170


 Fife
 172
 52,079


 Glasgow City
 170
 75,596


 Highland
 196
 33,112


 Inverclyde
 35
 12,757


 Midlothian
 38
 12,777


 Moray
 52
 13,660


 North Ayrshire
 45
 21,374


 North Lanarkshire
 159
 51,883


 Orkney Islands
 37
 3,168


 Perth and Kinross
 58
 18,438


 Renfrewshire
 79
 26,871


 Scottish Borders
 50
 15,779


 Shetland Islands
 20
 3,740


 South Ayrshire
 48
 16,347


 South Lanarkshire
 109
 46,274


 Stirling
 28
 12,870


 West Dunbartonshire
 20
 14,810


 West Lothian
 86
 25,840



  Source: Scottish Schools Census September 2002.

Children and Young People

Frances Curran (West of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive when its response to the consultation Integrated Strategy for the Early Years will be published.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive plans to publish a finalised Integrated Strategy for the Early Years in the early part of 2004. At that time we will also publish fuller details on stakeholder responses to the consultation.

Civil Service

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, civil service jobs there are in (a) Edinburgh, (b) Glasgow, (c) Aberdeen, (d) Dundee and (e) Inverness.

Mr Andy Kerr: The majority of civil servants in Scotland are employed by UK Departments. Detailed information on the location of staff employed by other government departments is, however, not held centrally.

  The information in the following table is based on the full-time equivalent number of permanent staff employed in the core departments of the Scottish Executive, executive agencies and associated departments as at 1 September 2003. These figures do not include non civil servants funded by the Executive such as non-departmental public bodies staff.

  Number and Percentage of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Staff by City

  

 City
 Number of FTE 
  Staff
 Percentage of 
  SE Total


 Aberdeen
 572.0
 3.7


 Dundee
 153.3
 1.0


 Edinburgh
 7,510.6
 48.7


 Glasgow
 1,813.7
 11.8


 Inverness
 224.0
 1.5

Common Agricultural Policy

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive which policy commitments in A Partnership for a Better Scotland it expects to be delivered through reforms made to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Ross Finnie: The underlying objectives of the CAP reform agreement link closely with our own strategic objectives for Scottish agriculture as set out in A Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture . These also underpin many of the commitments set out in the rural section of A Partnership for a Better Scotland . The reform agreement therefore will help deliver many of these commitments. Two of the main commitments in the partnership document are:

  seek reform of the CAP to secure improvements for Scotland and to shift subsidies away from merely supporting production to recognising the economic, social and environmental contribution that agriculture makes to rural development, and

  implement land management contracts to deliver reformed CAP support which takes account of the diversity of Scottish agriculture and its economic, social and environmental impact.

  The agreement itself very largely achieves the first of these commitments - through decoupling. The flexibilities available in the agreement also open up possibilities for advancing the second commitment.

  The Scottish Executive is undertaking a wide-ranging consultation on the implementation of the CAP reform and the flexibilities that are available. The consultation will last three months from 6 October 2003 to 6 January 2004, and decisions will be taken in February-March 2004.

Domestic Abuse

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how long the pilot scheme for domestic abuse courts will run in Glasgow before being rolled out across Scotland.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Detailed proposals for the form of the pilot scheme, which are being considered by two working groups overseen by a steering group chaired by Sheriff Principal Edward Bowen, Sheriff Principal of Glasgow and Kelvinside, have still to be settled. Once we are in a position to make an announcement we will do so.

Domestic Abuse

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional resources it has allocated to support the pilot scheme for domestic abuse courts in Glasgow.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-3351 on 5 November 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search ..

Economy

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2763 by Mr Jim Wallace on 2 October 2003, how much gross domestic product per person in employment in Scotland will have to grow to achieve the same level as the UK average in (a) 2001-02 and (b) 2002-03.

Mr Jim Wallace: The latest gross domestic product figures available for Scotland are presented in the Office of National Statistics regional accounts. This shows that in 2001 (the latest year available), Scottish GDP was estimated to be £69.2 billion at current basic prices, resulting in an average GDP per economically active person (2001 June-Aug Labour Force Survey) of £27,500. The UK equivalent (excluding extra-regio activity) was £29,400. This implies that, for the same population and workforce in Scotland in 2001, the average GDP per economically active person would need to have been £1,900 higher in order to reach the same level as the UK average (note that this would, in turn, result in an increase in the actual average UK GDP/economically active person).

Economy

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2768 by Mr Jim Wallace on 2 October 2003, how much gross domestic product (GDP) will have to grow in Scotland to achieve the same level as the UK average per head in (a) 2001-02 and (b) 2002-03.

Mr Jim Wallace: The latest GDP figures available for Scotland are presented in the Office of National Statistics regional accounts. This shows that in 2001 (the latest year available), Scottish GDP was estimated to be £69.2 billion at current basic prices, resulting in an average GDP per head of £13,660. The UK equivalent (excluding extra-regio activity) was £14,470. This implies that, for the same population in Scotland in 2001, the average GDP per head would need to have been £810 higher in order to reach the same level as the UK average (note that this would, in turn, result in an increase in the actual average UK GDP/head).

Economy

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2774 by Mr Jim Wallace on 30 September 2003, how it will measure the maximisation of long-term sustainable growth.

Mr Jim Wallace: As stated in the answer given to question S2W-2774, the Scottish Executive is committed to creating the conditions that will maximise our long-term sustainable growth and The Way Forward: Framework for Economic Development in Scotland sets out the Executive’s overall approach to this. Growth in our economy is measured by our own national statistics quarterly gross domestic product data series and by the Office of National Statistics Regional (ONS) accounts data. However, neither the ONS nor the Scottish Executive has any commitment to measure the process of maximisation.

Enterprise

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations from individuals and businesses in Orkney regarding supply partner arrangements being established by Highlands and Islands Enterprise for business advice services and whether it has had discussions with Orkney Enterprise on the proposals.

Mr Jim Wallace: We have not received any representations on supply partner arrangements from individuals and businesses in Orkney. Neither have we had discussions with Orkney Enterprise on the proposals.

Environment

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions come from peat soils that have been damaged by a change in land use.

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many tonnes of carbon dioxide have been emitted from degrading peatlands in each year since 1999.

Ross Finnie: There is no data available specifically on emissions from peat soils.

  The most recently published data on Scottish greenhouse gas emissions, including emissions from all soils due to land use change are available in the publication Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1990-2000. A copy of this report has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 29467) and is also available on the Executive’s climate change website at www.scotland.gov.uk/climatechange.

Environment

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much carbon dioxide per hectare per year is released by peat bogs damaged by ploughing and drainage compared to other land uses and what published scientific sources support these figures.

Ross Finnie: Data in the format requested are not collected by the Executive. The most recent data on Scottish greenhouse gas emissions are available in the publication Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1990-2000 . A copy of this report has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib number 29467) and is also available on the Executive’s climate change website at www.scotland.gov.uk/climatechange.

Environment

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent in the last 10 years on measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and what proportion of this expenditure relates to (a) transport policy, (b) energy policy, (c) agriculture or forestry policy and (d) peatland restoration.

Ross Finnie: The Executive’s actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions cut across a number of different policy areas. In each of these areas, the main policy driver may not necessarily be climate change, but the impact on greenhouse gas emissions is an important consideration when policies are being formulated. The Scottish Climate Change Programme , available on the Executive's climate change website at www.scotland.gov.uk/climatechange , includes information on expenditure in a number of these areas. Such expenditure will often bring social, economic and environmental benefits beside that of reducing greenhouse gas emissions: we do not keep records of the proportion of expenditure directly attributable to emission reductions.

Environment

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to support peatland restoration as a significant contribution to meeting UK targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 60% by 2050.

Ross Finnie: The Executive recognises that peatland also offers the potential to assist delivery of its target for reduced carbon emissions by 2050. The Scottish Executive supports the maintenance and restoration of peatlands through its agri-environment schemes and through Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). SNH’s Natural Care Schemes are targeted through the Caithness and Sutherland and Lewis Peatland Management Schemes as well as other management agreements with individual owners and occupiers of peat bogs.

  Projects aimed at restoration of blanket and raised bogs in Scotland have additionally benefited from substantial support from the EC Life-Nature Programme. These initiatives have received Scottish Executive support and this will continue in future where appropriate.

Environment

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made towards the UK Biodiversity Action Plan target to restore 75% of recoverable blanket peat bog within the next 10 years.

Ross Finnie: The UK Blanket Bog Habitat Action Plan target is to restore 75% of the total extent of restorable blanket bog in the UK by 2015. Scotland’s contribution to this target is being monitored through a series of interim targets, the first of which is to bring the total area of blanket bog in or near favourable condition to 340,000 hectares by 2005. Progress towards these targets is monitored and overseen by Scottish Natural Heritage.

  Scottish Natural Heritage is currently working to develop an agreed definition of "favourable condition", and assess the condition of blanket bog within the Sites of Special Scientific Interest series, and that exercise has not yet been completed. To help secure favourable condition and restore areas of minor degradation, Scottish Natural Heritage operates a number of management schemes and agreements as well as contributing to specific bog restoration projects.

Environment

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on peat bog restoration through Scottish National Heritage management schemes in each of the last five years.

Ross Finnie: Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) operates a number of management schemes which include prescriptions to ensure the sympathetic management and restoration of peat bogs. These include the Caithness and Sutherland Peatland Management Scheme, the Lewis Peatlands Management Scheme and the Skye Peatlands Management Scheme. Scottish Natural Heritage also negotiates individual management agreements with the owners and occupiers of peat bogs throughout Scotland. Total expenditure on SNH management agreements that target peatland features was:

  

 1998-99
 £597,314


 1999-2000
 £562,898


 2000-01
 £605,802


 2001-02
 £647,409


 2002-03
 £674,469



  In addition to these management agreements, SNH has contributed approximately £0.5 million for peat bog restoration in Scotland through EC LIFE Nature schemes.

Environment

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on peatland restoration through grants for environmental work under agriculture and forestry schemes in each of the last five years.

Ross Finnie: It is not possible to identify specific amounts spent on peatland restoration through Scottish Executive agri-environment schemes.

  Complete restoration of whole woodlands to peatland is not provided for in forestry grant schemes, but Forestry Commission Scotland’s Woodland Grant Scheme and the new Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme fund restoration work in relation to the management of forest edges, and smaller scale restoration of peatland habitats within forests.

  Forestry Commission Scotland is also undertaking peat bog restoration on national forest lands as part of a number of EU LIFE projects as shown in the following table:

  Forestry Commission Scotland Net Expenditure Contributing to EU LIFE Projects on Peatland Restoration on National Forest Lands: 1999-2004

  

 Year
 Area (hectares)
 Net Expenditure 
  (£000)
(Following EU Reimbursement)


 1999-2000
 none
 -


 2000-01
 none
 -


 2001-02
 25
 11


 2002-03
 159
 29


 2003-04 (to date)
 110
 50


 2000-04 (to date)
 Longbridgemuir SSSI, Dumfiresshire
 126

Environment

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what area of Scotland is covered by peatland and what percentage may be categorised as degraded.

Ross Finnie: There is no definitive estimate of Scottish peatland coverage but Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has produced estimates for two of the three main types of peatland, namely blanket bog and raised bog.

  Blanket Bog

  SNH’s recently developed Scottish blanket bog inventory estimates the total extent of blanket bog as 1,927,000 ha. Some 55% of this is considered to be degraded to varying degrees as a result of past agricultural drainage, peat cutting, erosion etc.

  Raised Bog

  SNH have estimated that there are approximately 24,000 ha of raised bog at present, of which 14% is actively peat forming, 23% is degraded but capable of restoration and 63% is no longer restorable.

  Fens

  Fens, the third habitat and the lesser of the three types in terms of area, are the least known in terms of diversity, extent and condition. Scottish Natural Heritage has recently embarked upon the development of a Fen Inventory to collate information held by itself, other agencies and voluntary organisations.

Environment

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what carbon dioxide reduction targets it has set and how many of these targets are to be met through (a) transport policy, (b) energy policy, (c) land use policy, and (d) peatland restoration.

Ross Finnie: The Executive has agreed to make an equitable contribution to the UK Kyoto target and to work in partnership with the UK Government in moving towards the domestic goal to reduce 1990 levels of UK carbon dioxide emissions by 20% by 2010. The Scottish response to climate change therefore contains a mixture of reserved and devolved measures. Information on Scotland’s historic contribution is available in the publication Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1990-2000 , a copy of which has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib number 29467) and is also available on the Executive’s climate change website at www.scotland.gov.uk/climatechange .

Health

Campbell Martin (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has commissioned, or is aware of, any appraisal of medical cover in the Greenock and Inverclyde area that considered the closure of the Inverclyde Royal Hospital, and what its position would be on any such proposal.

Malcolm Chisholm: We have not commissioned, nor are we aware of, any appraisal of this nature.

  Any proposal for significant service change must be subject to robust and comprehensive public consultation and would, ultimately, require my endorsement.

Housing

Murray Tosh (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its news release on affordable housing in rural Scotland on 7 October 2003, whether it will identify all areas designated as "pressured areas" under the powers given to local authorities to restrict right to buy sales of housing stock.

Ms Margaret Curran: No applications by local authorities to designate pressured areas under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 have so far been received.

Light Pollution

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to empower local authorities to take action against security lights on domestic properties that are causing a nuisance to neighbouring householders and, if no such measures are in place, whether any plans exist to introduce legislation in respect of such measures.

Allan Wilson: The Environmental Protection Act 1990 contains the main legislation on statutory nuisance and enables local authorities and individuals to take action to secure the abatement of a statutory nuisance. However, light pollution is not defined as a statutory nuisance under the act. Therefore, local authorities have no statutory powers to take action against security lights on domestic properties that are causing a nuisance to neighbouring householders.

  We have no plans at present to introduce legislation to bring light pollution within the scope of statutory nuisance. However, we are considering the report on Light Pollution and Astronomy published by the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee on 6 October 2003 which contained various recommendations on controlling light pollution.

Ministerial Correspondence

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Solicitor General will reply to my letter of 9 September 2003 regarding my constituent Mrs A Buchan of Fraserburgh.

Mrs Elish Angiolini: The Lord Advocate replied to the member’s letter on 17 October 2003.

Ministerial Meetings

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Council of Ministers meetings have been attended by its ministers in each year since 1999.

Mr Andy Kerr: Scottish ministers have attended the following number of EU Councils in each year since 1999

  

 Year
 Number of Councils 
  Attended


 1999*
 6


 2000
 9


 2001
 12


 2002
 10


 2003** 
 8


 Total
 45



  Notes:

  *July–December

  **January–October

Ministerial Meetings

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many working group meetings of Her Majesty’s Government have been attended by its (a) ministers and (b) officials in each year since 1999, expressed also as a percentage of total such working group meetings in each year.

Mr Andy Kerr: Numerous meetings are held between the United Kingdom Government and Scottish Executive ministers and officials each year on a wide range of subjects and at many different levels. No central record is kept of these meetings.

  The reply to question S2W-3405 records the meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee that Scottish Executive ministers have attended since 1999. All answers to written parliamentary questions available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search..

Music Industry

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what actions will be taken to showcase Scottish musical talent at the MTV 10th anniversary awards to be held in Edinburgh on 6 November 2003.

Mr Frank McAveety: The MTV Europe awards present an unrivalled opportunity to showcase the Scottish creative industries and for networking with the global industry and industry journalists. Scottish Enterprise have worked with NEMIS (the Scottish music industry network) to ensure that each delegate attending the awards will receive a specially commissioned Scottish Music CD, showcasing the best of Scottish music.

  The MTV Breakout week of events in Scotland will feature new Scottish musical talent. All of these events will be recorded for screening on the MTV network, which is a phenomenal opportunity for these bands. Scottish public sector partners were instrumental in providing this opportunity.

  Scottish music will feature at the reception which the First Minister is hosting for MTV at Edinburgh Castle to showcase the Scottish creative industries.

NHS Staff

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31193 by Mrs Mary Mulligan on 13 November 2002, how many unfilled vacancies currently exist in the NHS for consultant psychiatrists in all disciplines.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the number of vacancies is collected centrally by Information Statistics Division, via the annual medical and dental census.

  The latest information on the number of vacancies in NHS Scotland for consultant psychiatrists in all disciplines is contained in the table below.

  Table 1: Consultant Psychiatrist Vacancies as at 30 September 2002

  


 Establishment
 Total 
  Vacancies
 Vacancies 
  as % of establishment


 Psychiatric Specialties
 484
 56
 11.6


 Child and Adolescent 
  Psychiatry
 68
 12
 17.6


 Forensic Psychiatry
 32
 5
 15.6


 General Psychiatry 
  
 273
 29
 10.6


 Psychiatry of 
  Learning Disability
 29
 4
 13.8


 Old Age Psychiatry
 66
 6
 9.1


 Psychotherapy
 16
 0
 0



  The Medical and Dental Census was completed on 30 September 2003 and will be available in spring 2004.

National Library of Scotland

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has awarded in grant aid to the National Library of Scotland for the purchase of books in each year since 1994.

Mr Frank McAveety: The grant aid awarded to the National Library of Scotland for the purchase of books each year since 1994 is set out in the table.

  

 Financial Year
 Purchase Grant 
  (£ million)


 1993-94
 1.202


 1994-95
 1.193


 1995-96
 0.858


 1996-97
 0.858


 1997-98
 1.103


 1998-99
 0.958


 1999-2000
 0.958


 2000-01
 1.058


 2001-02
 1.058


 2002-03
 1.058


 2003-04
 1.058

Non-Domestic Rates

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made towards implementing the proposals contained in Non-domestic rates: Returning Prescribed Industries to Conventional Valuation – A consultation paper .

Mr Andy Kerr: We intend to return the currently prescribed industries to conventional valuation at the next non-domestic revaluation which is due to take place on 1 April 2005. This means that these industries will be treated in the same way as other industries: valued by independent assessors and have the right to appeal their valuation. The majority of respondents to the consultation were in favour of this proposal.

  Our aims for non-domestic rates are stability and certainty for business and continued harmonisation of valuation treatment north and south of the border. As part of this, we must be assured that the resulting valuations for these industries are robust. If this cannot be achieved, then we may review the position. This is a similar position to that adopted in England and Wales.

Nursing

Campbell Martin (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been any decisions by education institutions to withdraw trainee maternity nurses from the Inverclyde Royal Hospital and what its position would be on any such decisions.

Malcolm Chisholm: Decisions about the aggregate number of trainee midwives in Scotland are taken on the basis of recommendations from the Student Nursing Intake Planning (SNIP) steering group which meets annually and brings together a wide range of expertise.

  The recommendation of the steering group in relation to the academic year 2003-04 was that the annual student midwife intake should be set at 180, reduced from 220 in 2002-03. This recommendation was based on the steering group’s assessment of workforce supply and demand factors.

  The Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) which provide midwifery training in Scotland were subsequently given student midwife intake numbers that reflected a proportional reduction. I understand that the number of trainee midwives at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Paisley University, who place their students in a number of clinical settings including Inverclyde Royal Hospital, decreased from an intake of 45 per year to 37 per year in response to the SNIP report.

  Decisions about the placing of student midwives in particular hospitals are matters for the HEIs themselves in discussion with local health care providers.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide a substantive answer to question S2W-1941, lodged on 8 August 2003.

Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-1941 on 21 october 2003 All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search..

Public Transport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much expenditure has been incurred on fuel duty rebate and bus service operators grant in each year since 1997.

Nicol Stephen: Fuel duty rebate was replaced by bus services operators grant in 2002. The information sought is as follows.

  Expenditure on Bus Service Operators Grant/Bus Fuel Duty

  

 Financial Year
 (£ million)


 1997-98
 32.130


 1998-99
 37.867


 1999-2000
 45.196


 2000-01
 49.262


 2001-02
 49.641


 2002-03
 49.640

Regulation of Care

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-382 by Mr Tom McCabe on 9 June 2003, whether it can provide an estimate of how many residents of (a) voluntary and (b) private care homes have funded their care be means of selling their homes in each of the last three years and, if not, what steps it will take to gather this information in future, and how many residents of public sector care homes have funded their care by means of selling their home in each of the last three years.

Mr Tom McCabe: The way in which self-funding care home residents choose to fund their care is a private matter for them. While most such residents will be benefiting from free personal and nursing care, many will not have been financially assessed by their local authority; and some will be fully funding their care directly with the home, without local authority involvement. It is not possible therefore to estimate how many residents of voluntary and private sector care homes have funded their care by selling their homes, nor will it be possible in future for the same reasons. The information requested on public sector care homes is not held centrally.

  We are, however, in the process of collecting information on the number of care home residents who have a deferred payment agreement in place with their local authority. Such agreements obviate residents’ selling their home during their lifetime.

Scottish Enterprise

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make an announcement about the appointment of a new Chair of Scottish Enterprise.

Mr Jim Wallace: Scottish Enterprise plays a key role in enabling and supporting economic development and ministers recognise that the board and its chair are central to its success. The appointment of a new chair was advertised in the national press on 20 June. The Executive received 24 applications. These have been reviewed against the person specification for the post by an advisory panel which included a representative from the department and an independent assessor.

  The panel has concluded that although there were some applications which were of the required calibre there were not enough to provide ministers with a sufficiently wide choice. In the light of their conclusion, and after consultation with the Commissioner for Public Appointments, we now wish to take steps to widen the search for candidates and intend to engage the services of Executive Search and Recruitment consultants. All existing applicants are being advised of this decision.

  It is our intention that the new chair will be announced as soon as possible.

Scottish Water

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish Water staff have transferred, or will transfer, to Scottish Water Solutions Ltd and what their salary levels were, or will be, before and after transfer.

Ross Finnie: I have asked Dr Jon Hargreaves, Chief Executive of Scottish Water, to respond. His response is as follows:

  There has been no TUPE transfer of staff to Scottish Water Solutions. Staff are seconded from each of the partner organisations. Secondees from Scottish Water remain Scottish Water staff on Scottish Water terms and conditions. The number of employees seconded to Solutions will be in the order of 300 and their salary level will remain unchanged from before the transfer.

Scottish Water

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive Scottish Executive whether Scottish Water has complied with the requirements of European Council directives 71/304/EEC, 77/62/EEC, 92/50/EEC and 93/38/EEC (the Works, Supplies, Services and Utilities directives respectively) in relation to open advertising, conduct of prescribed tendering procedures and reporting of contract awards.

Ross Finnie: I have asked Dr Jon Hargreaves, Chief Executive of Scottish Water, to respond. His response is as follows:

  Yes. Scottish Water has implemented a policy to comply with the requirements of European Council directives as appropriate.

Scottish Water

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assets have been transferred from Scottish Water to Scottish Water Solutions Ltd and what the financial arrangements were for the transfer.

Ross Finnie: I have asked Dr Jon Hargreaves, Chief Executive of Scottish Water to respond. His response is as follows:

  No assets have been transferred.

Scottish Water

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation was undertaken with staff and trade unions concerning the establishment of Scottish Water Solutions Ltd.

Ross Finnie: I have asked Dr Jon Hargreaves, Chief Executive of Scottish Water, to respond. His response is as follows:

  An initial workshop was held to discuss and address the concerns of employees and the unions. Roadshows and further workshops involving all relevant Scottish Water employees were organised and a questions and answers process put in place to capture any comments, concerns and to ensure that a response to these was given through a managed process.

  Frequent updates were given to the Scottish Water Council and a special session of the Scottish Water Council was devoted to addressing issues relating to the creation of Scottish Water Solutions.

Scottish Water

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1150 by Ross Finnie on 14 August 2003, what targets Scottish Water has set in respect of its water leakage policy.

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1150 by Ross Finnie on 14 August 2003, what reduction in water leakage has been achieved by Scottish Water in Glasgow.

Ross Finnie: This is an operational matter for Scottish Water.

Scottish Water

Campbell Martin (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many abatement notices have been used to tackle offensive odours emanating from sewage works since the creation of Scottish Water.

Ross Finnie: One.

Transport

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve transport links to Dumfries and Galloway.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive is substantially improving the A77 linking central Scotland with Dumfries and Galloway, by constructing the M77, upgrading the Whitletts roundabout in Ayr, and providing new overtaking opportunities between Ayr and Stranraer. The M74 motorway links Dumfries and Galloway to the UK motorway network, and we are supporting a feasibility study investigating improved local rail services between Glasgow and Dumfries and Galloway on the west coast main line.

Young People

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many new youth and community centre projects are currently (a) proposed and (b) being constructed in each local authority area.

Euan Robson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2F-184 which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/sch/search.